OK, so that may be a stupid question. But, allow me to play devil’s advocate (although some who know me well would say I’m Satan himself).

Prior to the start of their latest series with the Braves on Friday, the Phillies had gone 7-4 in their last 11 games and seemingly were still in this terrible excuse for a division we call the National League East.

That’s when the shit completely hit the fan. The Phillies lost four games in three days to the Braves. After being swept by the Braves, the Phillies have now lost eight of their past 10 games to fall 10 games below the .500 mark and eight games back in the division.

But why should we be happy? Well, if the Phillies continued to win at a somewhat steady pace and show some semblance of a competitive team, you can almost guarantee Ruben Amaro Jr. would’ve been buying at the trade deadline rather than begin rebuilding for the future. Now, with their hopes dashed yet again, the Phillies will have no choice but to sell at the deadline (I hope). It’s time for the Phillies to say goodbye to some of their core veterans, no matter how difficult it may be. It is now going on six years since that magical run in 2008. If the Phillies continue to make minor fixes while refusing to fully move on from the past, they will continue to bury themselves as a franchise. Attendance is dropping rapidly, it’s time to make some moves and start the rebuild before the franchise falls back into the dark days. That may mean eating quite a lot of money on contracts belonging to players like Ryan Howard and Jonathan Papelbon, but it may be the only choice. Aging baseball players for sale: decent prospects or best offer… By: Kyle BabcockFollow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat